That Evening
by MrUkki98
Summary: The summer before the death of the Potter's, Lily started mending her relationship with former best friend Severus Snape. One evening, she invites him over to meet her son Harry for the first time. Prologue posted as "Before That Evening"


**A/N: Okay, so if you are following my FanFic Sors Vita, rest assured I have no plans to abandon it. I just ran in to a plot bunny and had to write this.**

Summary: Lily Potter started mending her relationship with former best friend Severus Snape after she learns that Severus had returned to the light. One evening, she invites him over to meet her son Harry for the first time.

A/N: Warning, this is story has not been proofread due to the author's laziness. The story may be edited at a later date to fix mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

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"No, Lily-" James Potter tried to protest as he grabbed his wife's wrist with his free arm. Lily Potter turned around and her green emerald eyes faced James's hazel ones. She looked at him sternly and removed James's hand from her wrist. James opened his mouth again, "But-."

The doorbell rang once again. Lily Potter looked at her husband one last time as she walked towards the front door. James shook his head and muttered, "Snape…"

At the door was Severus Snape, Death Eater and recent turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix. His hair was tied back and he was in his best pair of robes. "Severus," was all Lily said as she stood aside and let the guest in to the house.

"Thank you, Lily." Severus said quietly as he quietly walked in to the little house in Godric's Hollow. He looked around and saw at the end of the short corridor leading to the living room, his former bully James Potter holding an infant with the brightest green eyes. Stunned, he quickly came to his senses and nodded his head slightly "Potter."

"Severus, meet Harry, my son," Lily said calmly as she lead the guest in to the living room. Her husband had not acknowledged the guest in the house, nor was the poor excuse of a greeting returned.

Severus cautiously approached the other man and the infant in the man's arms. The boy had just turned one the month before.

"Severus, neither of them are going to hex you. Come closer," Lily beckoned standing next to her husband whose lips were beginning to curl in to a smirk.

"I don't know, Sni- Snape. I wouldn't put it against myself to not hex you out of my house," James retorted, obviously not delighted with the appearance of his unwelcome guest.

"James!" Lily berated. "It's fine, Sev. He's not going to do anything and Harry's just a baby the most he can do is summon his teddy bear if he gets too scared." Lily encouraged.

At the sound or his former nickname Sev, Severus's shoulders started to relax; he relaxed his grip on the wand in his pocket and using his wand arm, reached out to touch the small child on the head. "Nice to meet you," Severus struggled with the boy's name and looked up at his friend and seeing her smile he proceeded, "Harry."

"I…" Severus stuttered, "brought a present for Harry. I didn't manage to send one in time for his first birthday." Severus reached in to his cloak to present a small wrapped up gift.

Lily held out her hand to receive her son's present. "That was very thoughtful of you, Severus. Isn't it, James?" Her husband eyed the present wearily and nodded reluctantly as Lily proceeded to open the present. It was a stuffed dragon that changed colours every few minutes and changed from red to yellow as Lily unwrapped it. Intrigued, Harry raised out his arms to show his mother that he wanted the toy. Lily gave her son the stuffed dragon. Harry was busy playing with his new toy and making it difficult for his father to hold him. "Harry, you have to say thank you to your Uncle Sev." Lily told her son as she bent over to make herself eye level with the 1 year old.

Uncle Sev. Severus couldn't believe it. One second it was Severus, then the next it was Uncle Sev. He couldn't understand. He couldn't understand how he managed to get himself invited to the Potter's secret location in the first place either. Him. A Death Eater. Him. Who called his best friend a Mudblood in his fifth year. Here. At the secret house of the celebrity couple being addressed as Uncle Sev in front of their child.

But Harry didn't respond to his mother's requests. It was expected. The child was only barely a year old. However his mother wasn't going to give up yet. She bent down again and coaxed the child. "Thank you," she repeated slowly this time. The little boy was still too engaged with his new toy to notice his mother. Lily tried again, "Harry." This time she got his attention. She tried again slowly, "thank you." The boy still didn't attempt to mimic the words. "James, you try." Lily told her husband.

Watching the couple coax words out of an infant made Severus uncomfortable. The boy was hardly one, surely he couldn't say anything. "Lily, it's fine. He's just a baby." Severus attempted.

"No, it's not fine. He needs to be learning his please's and thank you's now. I need to get him to at least try." Lily returned still staring at her son and husband. "James, give me Harry. You try," Lily said as she reached her arms out for her son.

"Potter, there's really no need-"

Astonishingly, James handed his son over to his wife, ignoring the protests from his former school nemesis and bent down to become eye level with his toddler son. "Harry," he said firmly and the boy turned to look at him, temporarily distracted from his toy.

"Da?" Little Harry said as he cocked his head to the side a little.

"Say thank you to your Uncle Sev," James told his son.

There it was again, Uncle Sev. Hearing James Potter address him by his nickname made Severus feel weird inside. While James Potter never used his name, it was never Sev and always "Snivellus" or "Snivelly." To hear him say Sev, even if it was only to an infant made Severus uncomfortable.

"Say 'Thank You'," James Potter recited loud and clearly to his son.

"An oo, Ohnu Web" Harry Potter said.

James Potter smiled, "Good Job, Harry!"

Although he didn't show it, Severus was melting inside. Despite the child having butchered his name, he was happy. The child had called him Uncle Sev. For that one second before he retained his composure within, he had forgotten how much the child looked like his father. For that one second, he forgot that he despised himself for losing his best friend. For that one second, he forgot that the Potter's were under house arrest because he was foolish enough to support the Dark Lord.

The night continued and before the night was over, Severus had had the chance to hold Harry. He was reluctant at first but with Lily's insistence he took the child in to his arms. Severus didn't fall for the child like his father's friends did. No, the boy was too much like his father for Severus to like. He was only here because his friend had invited him. He was only holding him because his friend had wanted him to. However, when the child was in his arms he didn't seem to remember all that was wrong with the image of him, a death eater, sitting in the Potter's living room holding their son. He knew however, the moment he handed the boy over to his parents his senses will return and he'll remember that he couldn't turn time back.

There was no rewriting the day his friendship broke apart, no erasing the dark mark on his forearm, there was no stopping the prophecy to being said, no way of stopping the boy from being born. What was done, was done. There was only a way forward. Severus at least had hope in the future. Should the Potter's survive to see the end of this war, he would have his friend by his side. No longer the same as they once were, but a friend nevertheless.

As it grew late, the Potter's escorted their guest out of their front door. They went to sleep not knowing if they would live to see the next day or be ambushed in their sleep. Thankfully, it was yet time for them to face You-Know-Who and they managed to wake and see another day.

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Hope you enjoyed this little piece. I have another plot that follows this and the prologue to this event. If you're interested in seeing more please review!


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